November 17, 2013

On Friday, November 15, I was in HMV in downtown Montreal. The store is located in the heart of the city, probably one of the highest rental locations to be found in the country.

I just finished a tour that visited many major cities in Canada. During my travels, I sought out record stores and found a few HMV stores darted, randomly, in Quebec City and Ottawa; no doubt, there are more stores in suburban malls, and I’m sure, I missed some in downtown centers. Certainly, there were none as grand as the HMV presence found in Montreal.

These stores are glorified warehouses for major companies to display and sell their products – and they feel that way, like warehouses. Regardless of how they feel, these locations are what remain of major record store chains in Canada. I use the term ‘record store’ loosely as their main focus is now on DVD sales. Sure, they sell vinyl, but I’m sure it is a small percentage of their sales that are attributed to vinyl sales.

Yes, the days of a record store being relevant to the retail fabric of society has certainly changed. I remember a time when aptly named record stores would have character and records were flying out the door, with major releases catching attention worldwide. Young people would furnish apartments around their stereos and share the new releases with friends.

Still, we have our survivors in the independent (or as they are sometimes called, ‘mom and pop’) record store network. These shops are found all over North America. Of course, they are not as prevalent as they once were, yet they still provide us with a sense of charm, hidden away on side streets, back alleys and dive basements. Local, indie artists (who isn’t these days) are usually welcome to display their product in these shops and continue to live the dream of having their new release available in a RECORD STORE.

Most of these shops deal with a selection of used product, be it vinyl, CD’s or movies. Nevertheless, the indie record store is proving to have a lifespan that has outlived most of the major chains.

Chas

Note – Chas was the original owner of Back Alley Records in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.  It opened in 1993, was profiled in Billboard under Chas’ ownership and still runs today under the name Back Alley Music and new ownership.